King pigeons make gentle, wonderful pets

Published 3:47 pm, Tuesday, February 4, 2014

Neela and Sandpiper, above, became such beloved pets that the Tengan family bought an outdoor aviary.

Neela and Sandpiper, above, became such beloved pets that the Tengan family bought an outdoor aviary.

Photo: Tania Tengan

King pigeons make gentle, wonderful pets

1 / 1

Back to Gallery

Tania Tengan's son was perusing the "available for adoption" section of the MicaCoo website when he fell in love with a photo of a sweet-looking dove named Neela. When he learned that Neela was bonded with a male dove named Sandpiper, the Tengan-Pleban family decided to adopt the pair.

We made the drive to the Filoli House in Woodside, where Neela and Sandpiper lived. They were housed in a garden aviary on the grounds of the beautiful historical country estate along with other MickaCoo "foster" doves and King pigeons.

By adopting Neela and Sandpiper, we provided forever homes for two birds and also helped increase space in the generous environment provided by Filoli House. Our new birds may have been downgraded from their foster "chateau" in a famous Bay Area estate to our humble Cupertino abode; however, the two were upgraded to a safe and loving indoor palace they could now call their own.

Today, Neela and Sandpiper enjoy supervised free flight time in the house. Their favorite spot is on the lamp above my work desk where I make cruelty-free feather jewelry from naturally molted feathers from MickaCoo birds.

Elementary school in Oakland opens time capsule from 1927San Francisco Chronicle

Brides of March walk through San FranciscoSan Francisco Chronicle

WildCare rescues Western scrub jay from rodent glue trapWildCare

The Regulars: The CarpenterJessica Christian

Massive fire in San Francisco's North BeachDavid Essling

I make this jewelry, which I sell at local festivals and from my home, as a fundraising endeavor for MickaCoo. It's important to educate the public about the cruel practices of the feather industry for fashion jewelry, clothing, costumes, hair ornaments and feathers for crafting.

People might be surprised to learn that birds are killed just for their feathers. I find it rewarding to be a voice for these gentle creatures and to offer a guilt-free alternative that also supports a good cause.

Neela and Sandpiper became such beloved members of our family that we purchased an outdoor aviary and adopted four more MickaCoo pigeons, all males. Cookie, Lovie, George and Frightful are delightful additions to our flock and also contribute their naturally molted feathers to my jewelry fundraising projects.

Word of mouth is really how most people learn about pigeons. King pigeons are domestic all-white pigeons that are bred for meat and sold as squab (considered a delicacy) at just four weeks of age. They are unable to survive in the wild.

Recently, I met a man who used to raise pigeons. I told him that my birds were survivors of racing hobbyists, breeders who use birds for sport.

In addition to racing, some hobbyists selectively inbreed pigeons so they will roll and tumble while flying. While the flight of "rollers and tumblers" is considered beautiful, it is often fatal for the birds, who sometimes crash to the ground, and are also easy prey for raptors. If the birds are lucky they end up in a shelter, as did my four boys. The gentleman, a genuine bird lover, was shocked and saddened to learn of the consequences of his past actions.

Usually, people aren't aware that these beautiful birds are in shelters and need homes, therefore there's a shortage of adopters. Most pigeons and doves face euthanasia in local shelters. Even though they are docile creatures who make wonderful family companions, they are often overlooked in the pet arena.

However, when people hold a pigeon or dove for the very first time, their usual response is that of surprise. Holding such a soft, sweet and vulnerable creature has an immediate calming effect.

I always tell potential adopters that there is no better way to awaken in the morning than to the gentle cooing of my pigeons and doves.

Happily, it doesn't take long for people to convert from curiosity to adopting.